StateCraft Inc. (http://StateCraftinc.com), a communication agency on the Nana Addo Akufo-Addo presidential campaign, would like to congratulate New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on his successful bid for president of the Republic of Ghana. “It has been an enormously invigorating voting process for the Ghanaian people. These e […]

As the world celebrates International Human Rights Day, the European Union Delegation to Liberia has announced support for two new projects to improve conditions in prisons in Liberia funded through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR). Speaking about the decision to fund these projects, European Union Ambassador Tiina Intelmann sai […]

The African Union (AU), concluded, yesterday, the consultative meeting on enhancing assistance and coordination in the implementation of article 5 of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) and article 4 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM). The meeting was held, from 6 to 7 December 2016, within the framework of the AU Mine Action and Explosi […]

At its session on 9 December 2016 the Federal Council decided to extend by one year the freezing of all the assets in Switzerland of ousted presidents Ben Ali (Tunisia), Mubarak (Egypt) and Yanukovych (Ukraine) as well as of politically exposed members of their entourages and other persons closely associated with them. The aim of this decision is to give mor […]

The dti has noted the concerns raised by the poultry industry in South Africa especially in relations to the increase in imports of poultry products. The Government through the dti and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) has been working with the domestic industry to address the challenges in the industry. Over the last 3 years, upo […]

Please join us on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 at 02:45 PM a media briefing with Patricia Tricorache, Assistant Director, Strategic Communications and Illegal Wildlife Trade Cheetah Conservation Fund, who will provide an introduction to the Cheetah Conservation Fund and an overview of cheetah trafficking. She will explain why combatting illegal wildlife traf […]

Hosted by Catholic Relief Services in Addis Ababa, the consultation was the second of its kind. It drew about 40 participants, including prominent Catholic and Protestant church leaders, as well as dignitaries and representatives from the African Union Commission, United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, dipl […]

The 2016 edition of Jumia Black Friday may have come and gone, but the excitement and taste of success still lingers for the sellers, sales agents and community of entrepreneurs who experienced impressive sales and positive customer feedback during the annual sales event. Jumia Nigeria (www.Jumia.com.ng) has reported 8 million visitors to its site during the […]

The African Development Bank (AfDB) (www.AfDB.org) has appointed MCB Investment Management (MCBIM) (www.MCBCapitalMarkets.mu), a subsidiary of MCB Capital Markets, as Fund Manager for its first multi-jurisdictional Fixed Income Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) in Africa. The Board of Directors of the AfDB has also approved a seed equity capital investment of USD 2 […]

The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies says the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) recognises the doyennes and doyens of business through the South African Premier Business Awards (SAPBA) in order to inspire the young entrepreneurs of this country. Davies was speaking at the 4th annual South African Premier Business Awards that was hosted […]

When Iraqi troops launched the offensive to retake Mosul from ISIS in late October, many families in the city were hopeful. After two years living under the militant group's draconian rule, they believed they would be freed in a matter of days.

World football governing body FIFA is facing legal action in Switzerland over allegations it has been jointly responsible for the mistreatment of migrant workers who are working on projects for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

It has been said that Kirk Douglas is all that remains of Hollywood's so-called Golden Age. Having outlived the greats among which he's often ranked -- like Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable -- it's a hard point to argue against.

ESPN likes to schedule "30 for 30" documentaries tied to college football history using the Heisman Trophy presentation as a blocking back, and it has found a worthy topic in "Catholics vs. Convicts." Inspired by the epic 1988 showdown between Notre Dame and Miami, the special profiles not just one great game but lingering attitudes aroun […]

At time of discord in U.S., 'Loving', the true story of an interracial couple's determination, with their lawyers, to overturn institutionalized racism, reminds us of the kind of people we aspire to be in America

At first blush "La La Land" looks like a return to the musicals of old -- a "Singin' in the Rain" for our time, complete with a boy-meets-girl romance against a starry showbiz backdrop. But the movie is more profound than that, one whose buoyant musical numbers add luster to its deeper core.

Every day Luyanda Ngcobo's routine is the same: It starts with a trip to the back cupboard, where, safely hidden away is a bottle of nevirapine, an anti-retroviral (ARV) pill he has to take twice a day for the rest of his life.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The CIA has concluded that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help President-elect Donald Trump win the White House, and not just to undermine confidence in the U.S. electoral system, the Washington Post reported on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said on Friday he had removed his name from consideration for a position in Donald Trump's new administration as the president-elect narrows the field of people he is considering for secretary of state.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Reuters) - Michigan Republican Party Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel has emerged as President-elect Donald Trump's favorite to head the party, appearing on Friday at a rally attended by him as part of his "thank you" tour.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump's Energy Department transition team sent the agency a memo this week asking for the names of people who have worked on climate change and the professional society memberships of lab workers, alarming employees and advisors.

BATON ROUGE, La. (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will likely ask a senior Goldman Sachs banker to coordinate economic policy across his administration, turning again to Wall Street for expertise in managing the world's largest economy, a transition official said on Friday.

(Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump said on Friday he would name Andrew Liveris, chairman and chief executive of Dow Chemical Co, to head the Manufacturing Council, a private sector group that advises the U.S. secretary of commerce.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump is stacking his trade transition team with veterans of the U.S. steel industry's battles with China, signaling a potentially more aggressive approach to U.S. complaints of unfair Chinese subsidies for its exports and barriers to imports.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will pick U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a climate-change skeptic and an advocate for expanded oil and gas development, to run the Interior Department, a Trump aide said on Friday.

Switzerland: The fight against malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis

BERN, Switzerland, December 13, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ –The Federal Council has approved a contribution of CHF 60 million for the 2014-2016 period for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM). Switzerland was one of the founders of the Geneva-based fund in 2002 and has been one of its key partners since the beginning. Malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis remain the leading causes of death in sub-Saharan Africa. These three diseases are among the most important factors hampering development.

Three diseases – malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis – are among the most frequent causes of death worldwide, and especially in Africa. Malaria remains the leading parasitic disease worldwide. In 99 countries, approximately 219 million new cases are registered every year. About half of the world’s population lives in areas affected by malaria. The WHO estimates that in countries in Africa with endemic malaria the disease lowers economic growth by 1.3 percentage points per year.

Some 2.5 million people are still becoming newly infected with HIV every year and more than 1.7 million people die of AIDS-related illnesses every year worldwide. In the case of tuberculosis, the estimated number of annual deaths is 1.4 million. HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis frequently occur in combination, making them very difficult to treat in developing countries.

Nevertheless, considerable progress has been made in the fight against these three diseases over the past ten years. For example, new HIV infections declined by 33% worldwide, and by more than 50% among children in medium-income countries. Some 8 million people in Africa are currently receiving antiretroviral therapy – a twenty-fold increase from 2003. Significant progress has also been made in the fight against tuberculosis: the TB mortality rate has fallen by approximately 41% since 1990. The UN’s millennium development goal of stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other major diseases by 2015 and gradually reversing their incidence is thus within reach.

The fight against malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis is a high priority for international development cooperation as well as for Switzerland. The significant progress achieved so far can no doubt be attributed amongst others to the efforts of GFATM, which is the biggest backer in the fight against these three diseases.